Slide buckle



Oct; 6, 1931. R. J. HODGE SLIDE BUCKLE Filed Nov. 3, 1930 RUBEQWlHQDGE ATTy the buckle.

Patented Oct. 6, 1931 UNITED. srA'r-Es PATENT QFFECE ROBERT J. I-IOIDGE, OF WEST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN BUCKLE COMPANY, OF WEST HAVEN,

NECTICUT CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- SLIDE BUCKLE Application filed November 3, 1930. Serial No. 493,032.

This invention relates to slide buckles having side structures providing and supporting intermediate bar structures in longitudinal alignment, one with the other, but with their free extremities relatively spaced to permit an insertion of webbing, or. the like, therebetween from a plane at an angle to that of Such structure is old in the art, but the open space in such intermediate bar structures, if suflicientlv wide for an easy insertion of webbing material, reduces the intermediate bar structures to such an extent that their efficiency, to maintain an acute detour of the full width of the webbing threaded into the buckle, is vastly decreased. The novelty of this invention resides in providing an expansible structure in which the extremities of the intermediatebar structures may be variably spaced, and therefore the objects of the invention are to provide an expansible slide buckle; to provide a. buckle structure in which the intermediate bar structures may normally abut or be variably spaced; to provide a two-section buckle structure adapted for a relative sliding movement of one sec tion with regard to the other section; and to provide a novel means for the assembly of the sections for such relative movement. With these and other objects in view, the invention consists not only of the particular form of structure herein pointed out and illustrated by the drawings, but also includes such other forms of structure as may hereinafter appear within the scope of the invention as claimed.

The character of the invention may be best understood by the reference to one illustrative device embodying the novel features of the improvement illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which the Figure 1 is an upright elevation of the buckle in normal condition; the Figure 2 is an upright elevation of the buckle in an expandeo condition; the Figure 3 is an upright elevation of the structure of a section of the buckle of which the other section is identical; the Figure 4 is an upright elevation of the section as illustrated in the next previous figure, but with certain of the bars flattened in the plane of the section; the Figure 5 is an upright elevation of the section as illustrated in the next previous figure, but with each of the flattened bars rolled over along its longitudinal axis to provide, throughout its substantial length,

a channel formation of which the opening faces the intermediate bar structure; the F igure 6 is a crosssection upon the line 66 of the Figure 1; and the Figure 7 is a cross section upon line 7-7 of the Figure 1, the Figure 8 being an upright elevation of a modified structure.

While the buckle may be made wholly or partly of sheet-metal it is preferably illus trated as being made of wire. A middle portion of a single piece of wire is bent back upon itself to provide the intermediate bar structure 1. The wire is then bent at approximately right angles and in opposite directions but in a common plane to provide the side structure 2- adapted to support the intermediate bar structure 1. Again the wire of the remaining portions is bent at approximately right angles in the same direction to provide the upper bar 8 and the lower bar 4. each of the bars 3 and 4 being substantiallyparallel to theintermediate bar structure 1, as illustrated by the Figure 3. Up to this point the other section is similarly constructed to provide the intermediate bar structure 1A, supported by the side structure 2A, and the upper bar 3A and the lower bar 4A, as illustrated in full and dotted lines by the Figure .2. The upper and lower bars of one of the sections (preferably the first mentioned section) are flattened in the plane of the section, the free extremity of each flattened bar 3 and 4 being provided with the lateral extensions 5, as illustrated by the Figure 4. Each of the flattened bars 3 and 4 are then rolled over along its longitudinal axis 44 to provide the channel 6 extending substantially throughout its length and having an open face 7 facing the intermediate bar structure 1, as illustrated by the Figure 5; The upper and lower bars 3A and 4A of the other section are not flattened, but one or both of these bars is provided with an enlargement S, as illustrated by the Figures 1-,

i 2, and 6. for a purpose about to be explained.

To assemble thesections of the buckle, the

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upper and lower bars 3A and 4A are longitudinally inserted, as illustrated by the Figure 2, within the channels 6 of the upper and lower bars 3 and i, respectively, each of the enlargements 8 being permitted to travel along the open face 7 of a channel 6, the lateral extensions 5 of each of the flattened bars 3 and 4 being bent toward one another and overlapped to support the inserted bar, as i];- lustrated by the figure 7, and to provide a stop for engagement by the enlargement 8 upon the full expansion of the buckle parts, as illustrated by the Figure 2. The normally closed buckle sections, as illustrated by the Figure 1. providing a substantially rectangular buckle structure having the loops l0 and 11 separated by the intermediate bar structure portions 1 and 1A.

To thread webbing, or the like, into the buckle, the buckle is expanded by pulling the sections to their relative positions as illustrated. by the Figure 2, the extremities 9 and 9A of the intermediate bar structures 1 and 1A being thereby suificiently spaced to open up a substantial communication. between the loops l0 and 11 to permit a looped webbing of two inches in width to be readily placed. over the intermediate l ar structure 1 without any interference therewith by the intermediate bar structure 1A. The buckle is then contracted by pushing the sections together to their relative position illustrated by the F gure 1, the intermediate bar structure 1A being thereby plunged into the loopof the webbing and its extremity 9A made to abut the extremity 9 of the intermediate bar structure 1, thereby. again separating the loops 10 and 11 and threading the webbing into the buckle as it inserted therein from the rear of the buckle between the lower bar and the intermediate, around the intermediate bar, and from the front oi the buckle between the upper bar and the intermediate bar of an ordinary slide buckle.

A modified form of buckle, as illustrated by the Figure 8, is identical to that of the preferred form with the exception that the intermediate bar structure 1 is lengthened to extend substantially across the buckle interior and is thus supported by the side structure 2 while the side structure 2A provides no part otthe intermediate bar structure, the intermediate bar structure 1A being omitted.

I claim:

1. An expansible Sll( e buckle comprising a two-section structure so assembled as to adapt the sections for a relative slidin movement, the sections together providing a rectan gular frame having upper and lower bars and side structures; and an intermediate bar structure provided and supported by each of the side structures.

An expansible slide buckle comprising a two-section structure, each section having upper and lower bars and a side structure;

an intermediate bar structure provided and supported by each of the side structures, and each of the upper and lower bars of one section bein g flattened in the plane of the buckle and rolled over along its longitudinal axis to provide throughout its substantial length a channel facing the intermediate bar structure, the channeled upper and lower bars of said section being adapted to receive the upper and lo 'cr bars of the other section for a. relative sliding engagement therein, the tree extremities of the bar structures normally abutting but substantially spaced, one from the other, upon the expansion oi? the buckle.

3. Anexpansible slide buckle comprising a two-section structure, each section having upper and lower bars and a side structure; an intermediate bar structure provided by each of the side structures, and each of the upper and lower bars of one section being flattened and rolled over along its longitudinal axis to provide throughout its substantial length a channel facing the intermediate bar structure, the channeled upper and lower bars of said section being adapted to receive the upper and lower bars of the other section for a relat'vc slidii'ig engagement therein, each inner bar having an enlargement, and the free extremity of each channeled bar having lateral extensions overlapped to support an inner ba and to provide a stop for engagement by the enlargement, the tree extremities of the. intermediate bar structures normally abutting but substantially spaced upon the expansion of the buckle.

4. An expansion slide buckle comprising a multiple section structure so assembled as to adapt the sections for a relative sliding movement, the sections together providing a rectangular frame having upper and lower bars and side structures; and an intermediate bar structure provided and supported by each of the side structures.

5. An expansiblc slide buckle comprising a two-section structure so assembled as to adapt the sections for a relative sliding movement, the sections together providing a rectangular irame having upper and lower ba rs and side structures; and an intermediate bar structure provided tlllfi supported by each of the side structures, the free extremities of the intermediate bar structure normally abutting, but substantially spaced, one from the other, upon the expansion of the buckle.

6. An expansible slide buckle comprising a two-section structure so formed and assembled as to provide a buckle structure having substantially parallel upper, lower and intermediate portions and side portions, such structure normally providing a pair of scparated loops in common plane and the sections so assembled being adapted for a rela tive sliding movement along said plane to expand the buckle and to open communication between said loops.

7. An expansible slide buckle comprising a multiple section structure so formed and assembled as to provide a buckle structure having substantially parallel upper, lower and intermediate portions and side portions, such structure normally providing a pair of separated loops in a common plane and the sections so assembled being adapted for a relative sliding movement along said plane to expand the buckle and to open communication between said loops.

ROBERT J. HODGE. 

